Stress
by EstrellaCorazon
Summary: First part to a Maikka-centered AU. Ten years after the end of the 100 year war, Fire Nation Ambassador Mai and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe are lovers on vacation at the beautiful Ember Island. An unexpected but sweet surprise will now take their relationship to the next level, but will their families be ready for consequences of their union? Image created at dolldivine.


**Chapter 1**

**Revelation at Ember Island  
**

Ambassador Mai awoke before dawn every morning, even during her vacations. She had been like this since a child. As a teenager, she came across as somebody who looked bored all the time. Many found this off-putting, but the truth was she just preferred solitude (and a lot of it) to social activity. Early on she discovered that she could get this extra alone time by waking up before everyone else.

She awoke just before dawn, and gently lifted herself from the bed that she shared with her lover and diplomatic comrade, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe. Even though he was a heavy sleeper and a loud snorer who enjoyed an extra hour (or three) of sleep, Mai didn't even bother to light a lantern to get ready. She wanted to make sure that he stayed asleep. She needed the time to ponder over the discussion she had with him over dinner the evening before.

After washing up in the powder room, she felt her way to the desk that sat across from the foot of the bed. She found the desk's matching chair and began to feel around for the clothes she had left hanging on the chair's back. Quietly and gracefully she began to exchange her sleep clothes for the swimsuit and robe. The swimsuit was a two piece that she had given Sokka the privilege of picking out. Dyed with indigo flowers found in the Fire Nation colonies, Mai liked it because it was so different from the traditional swim fashion found in the Fire Nation. First she pulled on the bottoms, and then pulled the strapless top over her head and around her breasts. Then she pulled on the cover up, a simple black robe with a gold trim that ended mid-thigh. She grabbed the towel sitting on the left side of the desk and left the room, closing the door behind her gently. Sokka was still snoring.

Leaving the house through the kitchen door, Mai pulled on a pair of wooden sandals lined with several other pairs of shoes that indicated the number of residents in the household. She then stepped off the porch and onto a narrow dirt path that wound its way down to the beach.

The waves crashing upon the beach of Ember Island always seemed more soothing than the waves found at any other beach in the world. Mai found this especially true with the private beach attached to her family's vacation home, located on the northern half of the island. The house faced east, so in the early morning hours of summer, the sun was hidden behind the round, green and brown mountains that took up the middle of the island. Unlike the sharp, young, towering mountains of the Fire Nation's capital city, these mountains were old and seemed very jovial. In the shade of these mountains, the white sand of the beach looked light blue, and the water a dark grey.

As Mai stepped off the dirt path from her family's vacation home onto the beach, she slipped her sandals off and carried them in her left hand, while her right still held the towel. The cold morning sand beneath her feet and between her toes welcomed her like an old friend. At the shore, the waves gently rolled in and out to a predictable rhythm. Mai found the beach much more enjoyable in the morning than at midday. At that later time, when the hot sun was high in the sky, the sand burned and scorched like a old, cranky firebender. The waves were much stronger and rougher, tossing anyone not cautious enough off their feet and back to the shore. Along with those unpleasant attributes, the blazing sun also beat down with a terrible ferocity that scorched the skin.

While many accounted Mai's dislike of any kind of beach to the amount of people who were using it, a trusted few knew it was because she was actually very protective of her skin. It was an upper class vanity instilled by her mother, one of many habits that wouldn't die anytime soon.

Reaching the mid-point between the end of the dirt path and the water, Mai threw the towel down and placed her sandals next to it. Opening up the robe, she allowed the silky thing to slip off her shoulders and fall to the ground in one swift movement.

Then she approached the water very slowly, because she knew that the first splash would be a shock. While she enjoyed her morning swims, she never could get used to that first cold splash of water. She stopped when she reached the wet sand. The water rolled forward, and enveloped her feet. She gasped quietly, even though she was alone. Even alone, even in her solitude, she felt the need to control her herself and her emotions. Her training as a politician's daughter began in her early childhood. Even though Mai was never alone, being in the care of her mother and the many nannies that came and went, Mai had always felt lonely in their presence. It was strange, but actually being alone as a single individual made her feel less lonely than being trapped amongst a crowd of strange faces.

She stood there, listening to the song of the waves, feeling their cold embrace drift back and forth over her feet. The sensation of the sand being pulled away from where she stood reminded her of the inevitable change that characterized both life and nature. Closing her eyes, she folded her arms in front of her chest, gripping herself tightly, as if holding on for dear life. Not loosening her grip, she gave off a deep sigh, memorizing the sensation of her chest expanding and contracting. She stood like that for several minutes, barely moving a muscle, and just focusing in on syncing her breath with the waves.

As she stood there so still, from each eye a single tear escaped from her closed lids. She sighed again. Mai didn't notice how much time had passed, nor did she care.

"Mai?" a strong but gentle voice called out to her.

She opened her eyes, unfolded her arms, and turned around. There stood Sokka, a few feet in front of her. His hair was down, the way she preferred it, and some stubble was growing up around his neatly trimmed goatee. He was shirtless and barefoot, wearing a pair of loose red swim trunks. It was his first "real" swimsuit, one of the many odd and new luxury items that could be developed now that the One Hundred Year War was over and resources and time could be devoted to other fields. Mai's memory took her back to the week before, on the very first day of their vacation together, when they went shopping for necessities. She recalled actually laughing out loud as Sokka tried on various skimpy and impractical styles and posed and strutted for her. She honestly didn't care about what kind of swimsuit he chose-she was just pleased to see his bare, sculpted chest, arms, and legs outside of a bedroom, a situation which would have scandalized anyone from her mother's generation.

Mai blinked her eyes several times and gave him a subtle smile.

"What are you doing up so early?" she asked.

He gave her a big grin.

"I'm up at this hour," he chuckled. "And you're usually in the water by now…"

"You watch me swim?" she asked.

"Of course." He said, approaching her and embracing her in a hug. "It reminds me that you're human when I see you enjoying the little things."

Mai pulled away and gave him a playful punch.

"I was getting a bit worried, seeing you just stand there. You're usually so rigid in your routine."

"Yet another part of my mother showing up in my life…" Mai said sarcastically. She sighed again, but this time, it came through her mouth instead of her nose, sounding loud and exasperated.

"When did you fall asleep last night?" Sokka asked.

"I have no idea…" Mai answered, sounding defeated. "I tossed and turned for a few hours. I should have just gotten up and wrote a letter to my mother and sent it on its merry way via messenger hawk. Then I wouldn't have to deal with her initial reaction in person…" Mai walked away from Sokka, going a little further into the water, allowing it to come up to her knees. He followed her.

"Yes, I think I should do that…" Mai continued. Her voice actually perked up a little as she continued with her scheme, "If I do that, maybe she'll be so upset with me she'll never speak to me again! Wouldn't that be wonderful! The scandal and the shame that I'll bring to the family will be too much for her! Then I won't have to deal with…with…" Mai's voice faded as she placed one hand on her stomach. A moment later the other shot to her mouth. Sokka ran up to her and grabbed her long dark locks, but looked off onto the horizon. Mai let off a few gagging noises that were followed by the sound of something falling in the water. She coughed a few times, then moaned, "Dear Agni, I didn't even eat anything this morning!"

As she stood up, Sokka released her hair, and then placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you sure you're not just sick? You didn't eat a bad squid crab, did you? Yesterday's lunch at that café looked a bit iffy to me…"

"Says the guy who had three bowls of the ruby clam and shrimp soup…" Mai said. "I've thrown up every morning after breakfast for the past three days, and I'm late. There's no other explanation, but I am going to go see that Water Tribe healer in town later today just to be sure…if I tell my mother about this and then it turns out to be false, she'll never let me live it down…not that she's going to let me live down the fact that I've been knocked up by…well, I'd rather not repeat what she'd say. Some days I wish I was a peasant orphan."

Mai simply shook her head back and forth, as if trying to shake the unpleasant thought of her mother out of her head.

"Mai, you and I both know that trying to scare your mom out of your life is never going to work." he paused for a moment, biting his lip, then continued. "We both know your parents are going to be upset…but after the news settles in, maybe they'll be happy! Overjoyed, even! I mean, my dad was a bit apprehensive when Katara broke the news to him about her first pregnancy, but an hour later, he was practically running around the entire village announcing to every house that he was going to be a granddad! And I'm sure He'll be just as happy about this grandkid as well…"

"Sokka, your dad actually likes me as a person, amazing as it is…"

"What's so amazing about that? My dad likes nearly everybody!"

"Well, on account of the fact that I'm Fire Nation, and that I have such a _wonderful_ personality, that's really two strikes against me…but even when you first brought me to my first Water Tribe festival, he still went out of his way to make me feel welcome. My parents, they're the exact opposite…"

"Look, I know they're busy people, Mai. I understand that they had a lot of different politicians to talk to at that Annual Peace Gala at the Fire Nation Palace…"

"Ugh," Mai said, covering her face with her hands. "That's one of your flaws, Sokka. You're always so quick to give people the benefit of the doubt. The main reason I was so clingy that night was because I knew they wouldn't come within ten feet of anyone from outside of the Fire Nation. I didn't want to talk to them!"

"So it wasn't because of my dashing good looks?" Sokka said, cocking his right eye brow. He shrugged, then said, "Eh, I did a lot of judging and mistrusting people when I was younger. I figure I should make up for it now."

Mai pulled away from him again, walking further into the water until she was about waist deep. The waves were a little bit rougher.

"You okay there?" Sokka asked, following her. "I mean, you just…"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. My stomach's settled." Mai said. She crouched down into the water, completely submerging herself. Standing up and gasping for air, she inadvertently splashed Sokka as she flipped her hair back.

"Hey!" Sokka said with a laugh, splashing her back by scooping up the water in between them. Mai didn't say anything, but joined in the fight.

Several minutes later, the two soaking lovers had walked back to Mai's towel and unfolded it. Now lying there on top of the plush cloth, with their feet stuck in the cool sand, they gazed up at the sky and watched the fluffy clouds drift by. The wind sang gently, rustling the leaves of the tropical trees that lined the border that separated the beach from the hills.

"Well, that was fun…" Mai said, "Different from my usual routine, but fun."

"Get used to it." Sokka said, turning his head to the right to face Mai. "Kids need a lot of fun to grow up healthy."

Mai didn't respond, but only looked up into the sky in silence. Her lips faded from the gentle smile to the usual neutral position.

A moment later, Sokka's eyes widened. Bolting up, he began to apologize profusely.

"Mai, I'm sorry, so sorry, I shouldn't have…I mean, that hit a nerve didn't it…augh, I'm such an idiot sometimes."

Mai gave him another playful punch from where she lay, but didn't change her expression. Sokka sighed, and then returned to the reclining position that he was in before. Instead of staring at the clouds, he kept his attention on Mai. Only her eyes moved, scanning the sky for some new cloud formation or sign of a change in the weather.

"I'm scared, Sokka," she finally said.

"Of motherhood?" he whispered.

"Yes."

"I am, too."

"Of motherhood?" she joked, looking over at him.

"Nah, the idea of half-human, half-badgermole mutants taking over the surface world, forcing us humans underground…"

Mai laughed. "Well, at least we'll have interesting bedtime stories for the little squirt." She stood up and put on her robe. She began to walk towards the dirt path. "Come on, I'm hungry. Did you get one of the servants to start breakfast?"

"Of course," Sokka said, grabbing the towel and running to catch up to her. "Just out of curiosity," he asked, when he reached her, putting an arm around her shoulder again, "is there anything else about being a parent that you're worried about? I really think we ought to start planning things out now."

"Well, I do know that I'm going to have a lot less alone time. You know how much I love my alone time."

"I'll make sure that you get as much of it as you need. And I promise you that I won't let you make the same mistakes that your mother made."

"Thank you, Sokka."


End file.
